Friday, May 31, 2019
Monday, May 27, 2019
Colombia-"False Positive"
COLOMBIA
‘False Positives,’ and Proof
New evidence ties the head of the Colombian army to the alleged cover-up of the killing of civilians to beef up body counts in the fight against communist revolutionaries more than a decade ago – known as the “false positives” scandal.
An investigation insider provided the Associated Press with documents indicating that Gen. Nicacio Martínez Espinel signed off on at least seven questionable payments to informers who supposedly identified guerillas, supporting similar allegations lodged against the general by Human Rights Watch in February.
Taken with other circumstantial evidence, the signatures add new fuel to speculation that Martínez Espinel may have supported the practice of killing civilians and planting weapons on them to make the murder look like a victory in the fight against the rebels – though he said he has faced no criminal or disciplinary investigations and had no combat role during the dates mentioned on the new documents.
Notably, the evidence comes in the wake of reports that Martínez Espinel this year ordered troops to double the number of leftist guerrillas and criminals they killed, captured or forced to surrender in combat.
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Venezuela: False Start
VENEZUELA
False Start
Venezuela erupted in violence Tuesday after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared he was in the “final phase” of ending the rule of President Nicolas Maduro and asserted he had the support of the military – even as Maduro continued to cling onto power.
The fighting featured running clashes between Guaido’s supporters and armed military vehicles, with some Guaido supporters throwing stones and being hit by tear gas and water cannons in what was likely the most violent day of the political crisis so far, the BBC reported.
Venezuela’s health ministry said 69 people were injured across the country.
US National Security Advisor John Bolton said that three members of Maduro’s inner circle had agreed to his ouster but then backed out, helping him to hang on. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also claimed Maduro had been ready to flee to Cuba but had been convinced to stay by Russian officials.
Late Tuesday, Maduro denied those claims in a speech declaring that what he termed a coup had been defeated, the UK’s Guardian newspaper reported.
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